This weekend, the Dutch race track of Zandvoort with its long-standing tradition will be the venue for the fourth season round of the DTM. The annual race meeting of the most popular international touring car series always has a very particular atmosphere.
Since 2001, the round at Zandvoort has been a fixture on the DTM calendar and is the most popular DTM event outside of Germany. Not only the Dutch motorsport fans appreciate the DTM at Zandvoort, many German visitors also like coming there, often combining a visit to the circuit with a long weekend at the beach.
The race at Zandvoort promises to be an exciting one. In previous years, Audi traditionally was very strong at Zandvoort, locking out the top four places in the last two years. The Bavarian brand achieved four victories at Zandvoort in the last five years and is now aiming for the 50th race win for Audi in the history of the DTM.
Opponent Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, is determined to put a halt to Audi’s string of victories in the Dutch DTM event. For that reason, the Mercedes-Benz works-team HWA put in a couple of days testing at Zandvoort last winter.
In the DTM drivers’ standings, the situation could hardly have been more thrilling. Reigning champion, Audi driver Timo Scheider, is leading in the points’ standings before Zandvoort, but with a total of 17 points, he is only one point clear of his closest rival, Mercedes-Benz driver Bruno Spengler, who came home second in the last two rounds at the EuroSpeedway and Norisring.
“The Audis have always performed well at Zandvoort,” Canadian driver Bruno Spengler told Auto123.com.
“But our Mercedes-Benz C-Class car has progressed immensely since last year. It is performing much better now. Racing with an additional 10 kilos this weekend doesn’t mean that we cannot win the race. Anything can happen, especially since the weather forecast predicts intermittent showers and winds. We’ll need to work very hard during Saturday’s free practice session to prepare the car for qualifying and for the race,” Spengler said.
photo:René Fagnan - Auto123.com
Since 2001, the round at Zandvoort has been a fixture on the DTM calendar and is the most popular DTM event outside of Germany. Not only the Dutch motorsport fans appreciate the DTM at Zandvoort, many German visitors also like coming there, often combining a visit to the circuit with a long weekend at the beach.
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| Canadian driver Bruno Spengler |
The race at Zandvoort promises to be an exciting one. In previous years, Audi traditionally was very strong at Zandvoort, locking out the top four places in the last two years. The Bavarian brand achieved four victories at Zandvoort in the last five years and is now aiming for the 50th race win for Audi in the history of the DTM.
Opponent Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, is determined to put a halt to Audi’s string of victories in the Dutch DTM event. For that reason, the Mercedes-Benz works-team HWA put in a couple of days testing at Zandvoort last winter.
In the DTM drivers’ standings, the situation could hardly have been more thrilling. Reigning champion, Audi driver Timo Scheider, is leading in the points’ standings before Zandvoort, but with a total of 17 points, he is only one point clear of his closest rival, Mercedes-Benz driver Bruno Spengler, who came home second in the last two rounds at the EuroSpeedway and Norisring.
“The Audis have always performed well at Zandvoort,” Canadian driver Bruno Spengler told Auto123.com.
“But our Mercedes-Benz C-Class car has progressed immensely since last year. It is performing much better now. Racing with an additional 10 kilos this weekend doesn’t mean that we cannot win the race. Anything can happen, especially since the weather forecast predicts intermittent showers and winds. We’ll need to work very hard during Saturday’s free practice session to prepare the car for qualifying and for the race,” Spengler said.
photo:René Fagnan - Auto123.com